Pyeongchang Olympics January 2018 Update

FREE SHUTTLE BUSES FROM SEOUL TO PYEONGCHANG & GANGNEUNG
If you’re still struggling for train reservations, free shuttles have been announced from Seoul for event ticket holders (reservations open Friday 26th). See here (update: unfortunately this won’t actually be much use to most people making plans from overseas, as a Korean phone number is required to register)

The 2017/8 season is now in full swing, and the Pyeongchang Olympics are just 5 weeks away. Ticket sales have been slow (perhaps due to all the nuclear sabre-rattling that’s been going on recently), so it’s still possible to put a last-minute plan together to come to the 2018 Winter Games. Reasonable accommodation is pretty booked up in Pyeongchang, but there’s still loads available in Seoul and the new KTX bullet train makes Seoul a feasible base (note: perhaps not so feasible between Feb 14th – 18th due to the Lunar New Year holiday, see red box below)

Pyeongchang 2018 Accommodation

There are still plenty of rooms available in Pyeongchang and Gangneung, but at steeply inflated prices. Donghae and Wonju are mostly booked out; Sokcho still has decent (and reasonable) availability, and Seoul has plenty.

There’s still loads of availability on Airbnb, but also at jacked up prices near the venues. For those still looking, Yangpyeong (between Seoul & Wonju) could be a good base with 15 trains per day each way.

Lunar New Year transportation situation: the Korean New Year holiday of Seollal falls on February 14th – 18th, so those dates will be very busy and have a different reservation system. Unfortunately, it was finally announced that bookings will be available from January 17th at 6:00 (Korean time) for people in Korea but not until 16:00 for people outside Korea.

This essentially means that the seats will likely be sold out before Olympics visitors have a chance to try and reserve them. This is obviously causing a good deal of anger & frustration, especially for Pyeongchang Pass holders who’ve already paid only for other passengers to probably buy the very seats they thought they were paying for.

Standing room tickets are also available though there’s no clear information about how many exactly, so a lot of people are concerned they won’t be able to make it to their events on those dates.

The latest response from Korail is that they’re confident the capacity is high enough for the combined demand from Seollal travel & Olympics spectators. To be fair, the population in the region is small so the Seollal demand won’t be as crazy as it is on the main Seoul – Busan line… we just have to hope that Korail have got their capacity calculations correct. I’ll endeavour to update this box with any new information as & when.

Update: trains didn’t end up being instantly fully-booked by local passengers on the 17th (probably due to it being a rural region with low population density), and there was still reasonable availability when tickets became available to overseas customers at 4pm; seems like most people who got online at that time were able to book at least workable train times (though in many cases not their 1st choice options). However, by now (24 hours later) the trains are mostly booked out on the Seollal dates. If you’re still searching, remember to also check Cheongnyangi & Sangbong stations (in eastern Seoul) as they have more departures & arrivals than Seoul Station; and if that’s no good, there’s still (hopefully) hope as Korail have announced a second special reservation period for Pyeongchang Pass holders (see the announcement here). Remember there’s also standing room on the train, but we don’t know what the capacity will be. If you have events on those dates and haven’t booked accommodation yet, you should probably consider options other than Seoul (see here)

Opening Ceremony: there’s also been some concern for those wanting to get back to Seoul from Jinbu after the opening ceremony on the 9th; although not shown on the schedule here (page 4), trains were also made available at 0:44 to Sangbong Station and 1:24 to Cheongnyangni Station (originating at 0:20 and 1:00 from Gangneung). Seats are now fully booked on all of them, but for standing tickets you can try 22:54, 0:44, and 1:24. Again, if you’re attending the ceremony but haven’t booked accommodation yet, you should probably consider options other than Seoul (see here)

Pyeongchang 2018 Transportation

Olympic Shuttle Buses Finally! We have a clear picture of the shuttle bus system, with one caveat – so far it’s very helpfully only been posted in Korean, here (scroll down). If an English version doesn’t show up in the coming days, I’ll make one!

The new KTX line to Pyeongchang & Gangneung started service on December 22nd, and you can see the full schedule here (pages 5 & 6 for the Olympic dates, and page 9 for the Paralympic dates); the Korail site has finally been updated to show the new stations, so you can now search & book online here (KTX reservations can be made 30 days in advance, extended to 60 days for the Olympics (except Feb 14th to 18th, see box above) – recommended to do so ASAP if you want to have a seat!)

Korail’s also selling a Pyeongchang Rail Pass for the Olympics; this is key for anyone staying in Seoul and making repeated round trips by KTX to the venues. Available until January 31st, details here

Awesome Discounts at Phoenix Park (until Jan 20th)

If you travel to Phoenix Park on the KTX (via Pyeongchang Station), you can present your KTX ticket at the lift ticket window for some really good discounts as shown here (all in Korean, but you can see the prices are basically 50% off). They close for the Olympics in a few weeks, so take advantage while you can!

Where to Eat & Drink in Gangneung

If you’re spending some time in Gangneung during the games, there’s a handy list here of places to eat & drink

Olympic Host Resort Closures

The Olympic host resorts are affected as follows:

Yongpyong open throughout, but with the Rainbow and Silver areas (gondola included) closed off.

Phoenix Park open until January 20th, with Phoenix Peak closed off but most of Mont Blanc (the main hill) open bar the boardercross and halfpipe.

44 comments on “Pyeongchang Olympics January 2018 Update”

I’d like to watch Pyong Chang Olympic Games, but I am worried about accommodation and transportation.

For the Ski Jump Women’s Normal Hill Competition to be held on Monday 12th, the scheduled time for the game to end is 11:35 pm. There seems to be a shuttle bus to Jimbu station, but does the railway still operate during that time? When staying at a hotel in Gangneung City, it is not possible to go back to the hotel if the last train time has passed.

Hi Shinji, yes the trains are running until after 1am during the Olympics. If you’re staying in Gangneung, the last train from Jinbu that day is at 1:09. If you’re staying in Seoul, the last train back to Seoul’s Cheongnyangi Station is at 1:24. Please see my KTX page and accommodation page for more information. Don’t worry, I’m sure you can do it!

Thanks for the reply. I was a little worried about accommodation and transportation, so I was relieved a little.

Accommodation in Seoul takes 2 hours on KTX, so it will be past 2 AM to arrive at the hotel. Then, those who stayed in Gangneung City can return to the hotel as soon as possible.

When staying at a hotel in Gangneung City, how to return to the hotel is a problem. It’s late night, so I only have to take a taxi.

I am going to watch the ski jump on the 12th and watch speed skating on the 14th. Since I intend to leave one day on the 13th, there is no problem because I can relax at the hotel even if I come back early in the morning of 13th.

Your information is extremely useful and timely, and I hope it is accurate, too! I’ve gotten a lot of helpful tips, and now I feel worse about staying near Seoul Station instead of Cheongnyangni station. Oh well, I think if I’m reading the schedule correctly, there still is a late train that leaves Gangneung at 23:10 that goes directly to Seoul Station. I’m worried about the standing room only, but I guess I have no choice now.

My question is about event tickets. I wanted to go all out for Pyeongchang, so I bought over 60 sessions of tickets, even though only 1-2 friends are coming for part of the time. Now, I have surplus tickets that I am interested in selling to recoup some of my losses. Do you have any recommendations for places/websites/bars/gathering places where I can advertise that, both online now and in person when I arrive? I’m thinking there will be hubs in certain places where people gather to talk about and watch the Olympics and I can meet some people. I found korea4expats.com, but there wasn’t a lot of activity there. Any advice you have would be appreciated.

Hi Andrew, cheers, it’s as accurate as I can manage… quite tricky with the lack of clarity in a lot of the official info!

Don’t feel bad about staying at Seoul Station – it’s a better part of the city, and you can still use Cheongnyangi Station if need be. Seoul Station – Cheongnyangi is about 20 minutes by subway, and if you arrive back at Cheongnyangi after the subway stops for the night you’d be looking at 20000(ish) won for a taxi.

As for your surplus tickets, well if any other reader here needs tickets, please leave Andrew a reply! Also, there is an official fan-to-fan resale system, not sure exactly how that works but check here.

I haven’t firmed up any events but I’ll be in Gangneung between the 17th and 20th. If you still have tickets, I’d like to see what you have.

And as Simon correctly pointed out, you can register your tickets and resell them on the Fan-to-fan page. Of course, would be nice to get the first crack at those. Would like to get tix for the men’s figure skating free skate on the 17th.

For below information of thr ktx discount package, after i click the link, its all written in korean, so i am not sure about it.

I have already book a KTX return ticket, do you think i have to refund it and book again? or i can just show the ticket which i already bought to get the discount??
thanks

Awesome Discounts at Phoenix Park
If you travel to Phoenix Park on the KTX (via Pyeongchang Station), you can present your KTX ticket at the lift ticket window for some really good discounts as shown here (all in Korean, but you can see the prices are basically 50% off). They close for the Olympics in a few weeks, so take advantage while you can!

Hi, appreciate all the help you’ve been providing the last couple months.

We are staying a 3 min drive from Welli Helli resort in Dunnae. We have some events @ Bokwang Park and it doesn’t look like there are any direct trains between Dunnae and Pyeongchang stops to catch the shuttle bus. Any idea if there are any direct buses (free?) from the Dunnae area to Bokwang or I guess we can always take the train to Jinbu and come back a stop.

Hi Steven, there are some direct trains, but only in the afternoons for some reason, so I assume you’re trying to get to morning events? So yes, you could take the KTX to Jinbu then come back, or do the same thing the other way and take the train to Hoengseong or Manjong then come back. I haven’t heard anything about buses from Dunnae, however according to this there will be free shuttle buses from Hoengseong and Wonju that might help you (and with luck may possibly stop at Dunnae). As far as I can tell though, no schedules are yet available for these shuttles and my messages seeking further info from the organisers haven’t been answered.

If you have rail passes, I’d say you may as well reserve tickets for doubling back via Jinbu/Hoengseong, then see what happens with the buses and switch plans if there’s a convenient bus.

Really helpful article! And probably the most useful website about Pyeongchang Olympics I’ve found so far. Just one question related to transportation: how much earlier should I arrive at the closest KTX station (Gangneung station for Gangneung Ice Area for example) before an event? I assume the shuttle bus route probably wouldn’t take more than 20min, but considering lining up for it and security, I have no idea how much time I should plan to make sure we get to our seats on time… Thanks for your help!

Thank you! I’m afraid I can’t give a 100% concrete answer, but it does depend which venue. 20 minutes sounds about right for the shuttle from Gangneung Station to the ice events, in which case I think I’d allow an absolute minimum of an hour. It’s a bit further from the stations to the Mountain Cluster events though, perhaps 30 minutes for the shuttles, so adjust accordingly.

It’s hard to say how efficient everything’s going to be with lining up, security, traffic, etc. The earlier you can get there the better, I suppose.

Thanks for your replies! I surely hope they will make that information in English!! Less than 4 weeks left and I feel like we are not getting much information! I would like to know some food options and what we could do around that area while waiting between events (we have 6-9h gaps on some days) as well and I couldn’t find much…

Cheers Emily! If you have time to kill between events in the Mountain Cluster, you can spend some of it checking out the Olympic Plaza. That should be good for one day at least, but other than that I guess there’s more to do (and eat!) in Gangneung what with it being a city. You could also try to visit some of the Olympic houses e.g. Holland Heineken House (though I know from Vancouver 2010 that they can have huge lines – we never managed to get in, go early!), which are all in Gangneung. Also check out my Korean food guide if you haven’t seen it, gives you an idea what dishes to search for

(no idea how well this formats to the comments). Anyway I’m quite happy about the lines, intervals and shortish transport times even from Jinbu to Gangneung. Now we just need to see how much people will need to stand on the KTX to/from Seoul on the popular dates…

I will be heading to Gangneung on Feb 19 from Incheon Airport Terminal 2 by taking the high speed train. I went online to book on the korail website, but there is no departure from Terminal 2, just Terminal 1. But I saw the train timetable that there are trains schedule to gangneung from T2. Do you know why?

Are backpacks allowed into the Pyeongchang Olympics? I haven’t been able to find any official information. I read that at least at Rio, you could bring a bag no larger than 25L, and it had to fit under your seat. (Also selfie sticks were not allowed, and neither were professional cameras, but personal DSLRs were fine.)

Hi Simon,
Thanks again for your great website and information. Really helpful. Do you know if there is any information on the stops that are planned for the Olympic buses like TS20 or TS26? We have a accommodation close to Sandpine Golfclub, that is in between the North Gangneung transport hub and the Coastal cluster Olympic parc. We were wondering if there is a bus stop close to the Golfclub of the TS20 or TS26 bus?

I’m sorry, I don’t know of any information about that. It kind of looks like the shuttles just go from A to B, I have no idea if they’ll be making intermediate stops or not. If I see anything, I’ll let you know!

Hi Simon
Wondering if you have heard updates regarding cold protection measures for spectators attending the opening ceremony next Friday. I’m reading everywhere that it is expected to be extremely cold -in a roofless stadium!!!!!😱❄️❄️❄️❄️
Local advice for appropriate clothing?
Thanks!

I’m not sure what protection measures they’ll have in place, but I am sure that it’s going to be absolutely freezing! Looks like minus 6 degrees C on the forecast at the moment, and you’ll be sitting in a seat rather then moving around so you’re going to feel it.

If I were going, I honestly think I’d wear 5 layers – vest, t-shirt, micro-fleece, hoodie, snowboard jacket. And my ski pants & snowboard boots, and obviously also a warm hat and gloves. Maybe a face mask or muffler too. If turns out they’ve got some heaters set up you can always take a layer or 2 off, but if they don’t and you’ve underdressed you probably won’t have an enjoyable evening!

I am in Seoul for other business, but have a ticket to late night hockey game in Gangnueng on February 12. I have a train ticket from Seoul to Ganueng, but cannot find one that leaves after midnight (unless I want to wait until 5:30 am) back to Seoul. What is an alternate transportation option?

Hi Greg, there’s a 0:20 to Sangbong Station and a 1:00 to Cheongnyangni Station. These stations are in eastern Seoul, Cheongnyangi is the more convenient of the two. You’ll have to take a taxi back to central Seoul, maybe 20 or 30 dollars depending where you’re staying.

If you go here and set the date to Feb 13th & hour to 0:00, and enter the arrival & destination stations, you’ll be able to see & book these trains.

Hey Simon,
because of bad transportation possibilities from my hotel (living in Ansan because of work) in the late evening, I decided to go by car to the games.

Now the problem is, my navigation systems (tried many) don’t know the places and even Google won’t help me.
So do you know any map with the correct location or maybe the GPS coordinates of the parking lots?

My first destination will be the Gangneung Hockey Centre and on the official site they say, I should park at the North Gangneung Parking Lot.
The second destination will be Alpensia Biathlon Centre with the parking on the Daegwallyeong Parking Lot.

Also, are you aware of the odd/even rule for Gangneung? Odd & even licence plates will only be allowed on alternating days in Gangneung during the Olympics… I’m afraid I’ve been unable to locate an accurate map of the area covered, or whether or not it extends as far as the North Gangneung Parking, or (if not) whether you’d have to drive through the restriction zone to reach the parking. Sorry I don’t have better information, but it’s something you need to be aware of if not already.